Why does neither Ethan Frome nor Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf have a clear hero and villain? What are Albee and Wharton suggesting about society by this choice?
Are Nick and Honey destined to become just like George and Martha?
There are lots of references to childishness and silliness in the movie and since the movie parallels the cold war- such a seemingly adult conflict between two superpowers- do we agree with Ablee's implication that the cold war was childish? Was the cold war based on illusion and games? Could it have been resolved with simple communication?
How on earth could George and Martha have fallen in love in the first place? Is that what Nick and Honey are in the story to demonstrate?
Why do Ethan and Zeena never reach the closure that Martha and George seem to reach in the end? Or do they?
Can one side of both marriage conflicts (eg one person) be blamed for the problems?
Why was Martha the first to crack and break down? What does Ablee suggest about George by this choice and the fact that even as she starts to break down he continues the game?
Did Ethan and Zeena live an illusion like George and Martha?
The isolation of Starkfield certainly played a pivotal role in Ethan and Zeena's conflict. What role did the university setting play in George and Martha's?
Seminar Reflection
Our seminar repeatedly elaborated on the topic of the evident power struggle between George and Martha. Analyzing Amiah’s suggestion that George tried to warn, even help, Nick regarding the conflict which results in a marriage at the university, we determined that on the contrary, George merely wanted power over Nick. We also discovered George’s manipulative ways towards Martha were all about gaining power over her. As Adam pointed out, he kept pouring her more and more drinks, satisfied by her seeming dependence on him for the drowning of her sorrows and the destructive effects which Martha made George think the alcohol had on her. Furthermore, I noticed that George seldom outright loses his cool, and the few times he does it is to gain control over a situation, such as yelling “silence!” (Albee) in the bar. Likewise, Martha is after power over George; she tells embarrassing stories of his past to make him vulnerable and seem weak, especially stories of her father’s power over, and rejection of, George. Perry referenced one story which leaves George particularly vulnerable: the one of him refusing to box with Martha’s father and her father’s reply to his refusal, “Come on, young man! What sort of a son-in-law are you?” (Albee). This story embarrasses George by highlighting the one thing he can’t stand: powerlessness. Martha, through her father and knowledge of George’s embarrassing past, has power over George. He can’t live with himself for this lack of power so tries to manipulate the power back into his own hands through alcohol and through beating Martha at her own games.
A question which arose at the table from this analysis, but was not fully elaborated on, is with regards to whether the power struggle set the foundation for their destructive games, or whether their destructive games set the foundation for the power struggle. I believe there is an element of truth to both statements. All relationships, especially marriages, are a power struggle. Healthy relationships, such as most marriages, properly balance the powers within that relationship. In the opening page of Orson Scott Card’s novel Xenocide, Card analyzes the nature of this balance of power in marriage. He states men and women have completely different strengths and desires, even suggesting “male and female are separate species” (Card 11). He also claims that an individual marries one who completes them by possessing power in an area where they do not, “humans mate with beings who challenge their supremacy,” to “complete” each other. (Card 12). Card explains the traditional ‘opposites attract’ idea as a way for husband and wife to complete each other, much like opposing charges which balance an atom. George and Martha, like all males and females, have opposing desires and needs. I believe their destructive games prevent their opposing charges from balancing. George and Martha cannot balance power like a traditional 1960’s marriage, with Martha as the happy housewife and George as the successful, pioneering businessman. Martha “doesn’t go up [get pregnant]” and therefore cannot have children, and George is a “big, fat, flop,” who can’t take over the history department nor get his books published. Their failure to balance power traditionally leaves them lost and confused, so they invented games to cope with their failure, to take “refuge” when the world “sits too heavy” (Albee). These games only turned their opposing masculine and feminine needs against each other and stimulated a great power struggle. I believe George and Martha’s destructive games, invented to cope with their failure to balance power in a traditional 1960’s manner, set the foundation for their struggle for power, not the reverse.
Another topic which was discussed briefly at the seminar is the fact that Zeena and Ethan in Ethan Frome fail to recognize their destructive marriage and move on. John brought up the Wharton’s own destructive marriage and eventual divorce, leading us to believe that Ethan Frome is a novel warning reader of the dangers when one fails to recognize mistakes and does not attempt to heal them. Ethan and Zeena never discuss their problems, never make a move heal their marriage, nor ever make a move to end it. Martha and George’s similar failure to face their problems set the foundation for the illusion which guides Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. This too connects to Orson Scott Card’s Xenocide. He claims that growing up is not the ability to be perfect; rather, growing up is the ability to recognize and work to resolve mistakes, “they [people] are wise because they correct their mistakes as soon as they recognize them” (Card 89). George, Martha, Zeena, and Ethan all are childish and unwise because they fail to recognize and resolve their mistakes. As James pointed out, Albee symbolizes his character’s immaturity by George and Martha referring to each other as “baby,” talking in sweet voices, and their obnoxious actions, such as Martha riding George like a horse at the beginning of the move. Ethan and Zeena are immature in the same manner. Both couple’s lack of wisdom to recognize the problems and mistakes in their marriages result in the amplification and continuation of conflict between them; the four characters may be adults, but they have not matured.
Seminar Reflection
Our seminar repeatedly elaborated on the topic of the evident power struggle between George and Martha. Analyzing Amiah’s suggestion that George tried to warn, even help, Nick regarding the conflict which results in a marriage at the university, we determined that on the contrary, George merely wanted power over Nick. We also discovered George’s manipulative ways towards Martha were all about gaining power over her. As Adam pointed out, he kept pouring her more and more drinks, satisfied by her seeming dependence on him for the drowning of her sorrows and the destructive effects which Martha made George think the alcohol had on her. Furthermore, I noticed that George seldom outright loses his cool, and the few times he does it is to gain control over a situation, such as yelling “silence!” (Albee) in the bar. Likewise, Martha is after power over George; she tells embarrassing stories of his past to make him vulnerable and seem weak, especially stories of her father’s power over, and rejection of, George. Perry referenced one story which leaves George particularly vulnerable: the one of him refusing to box with Martha’s father and her father’s reply to his refusal, “Come on, young man! What sort of a son-in-law are you?” (Albee). This story embarrasses George by highlighting the one thing he can’t stand: powerlessness. Martha, through her father and knowledge of George’s embarrassing past, has power over George. He can’t live with himself for this lack of power so tries to manipulate the power back into his own hands through alcohol and through beating Martha at her own games.
A question which arose at the table from this analysis, but was not fully elaborated on, is with regards to whether the power struggle set the foundation for their destructive games, or whether their destructive games set the foundation for the power struggle. I believe there is an element of truth to both statements. All relationships, especially marriages, are a power struggle. Healthy relationships, such as most marriages, properly balance the powers within that relationship. In the opening page of Orson Scott Card’s novel Xenocide, Card analyzes the nature of this balance of power in marriage. He states men and women have completely different strengths and desires, even suggesting “male and female are separate species” (Card 11). He also claims that an individual marries one who completes them by possessing power in an area where they do not, “humans mate with beings who challenge their supremacy,” to “complete” each other. (Card 12). Card explains the traditional ‘opposites attract’ idea as a way for husband and wife to complete each other, much like opposing charges which balance an atom. George and Martha, like all males and females, have opposing desires and needs. I believe their destructive games prevent their opposing charges from balancing. George and Martha cannot balance power like a traditional 1960’s marriage, with Martha as the happy housewife and George as the successful, pioneering businessman. Martha “doesn’t go up [get pregnant]” and therefore cannot have children, and George is a “big, fat, flop,” who can’t take over the history department nor get his books published. Their failure to balance power traditionally leaves them lost and confused, so they invented games to cope with their failure, to take “refuge” when the world “sits too heavy” (Albee). These games only turned their opposing masculine and feminine needs against each other and stimulated a great power struggle. I believe George and Martha’s destructive games, invented to cope with their failure to balance power in a traditional 1960’s manner, set the foundation for their struggle for power, not the reverse.
Another topic which was discussed briefly at the seminar is the fact that Zeena and Ethan in Ethan Frome fail to recognize their destructive marriage and move on. John brought up the Wharton’s own destructive marriage and eventual divorce, leading us to believe that Ethan Frome is a novel warning reader of the dangers when one fails to recognize mistakes and does not attempt to heal them. Ethan and Zeena never discuss their problems, never make a move heal their marriage, nor ever make a move to end it. Martha and George’s similar failure to face their problems set the foundation for the illusion which guides Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. This too connects to Orson Scott Card’s Xenocide. He claims that growing up is not the ability to be perfect; rather, growing up is the ability to recognize and work to resolve mistakes, “they [people] are wise because they correct their mistakes as soon as they recognize them” (Card 89). George, Martha, Zeena, and Ethan all are childish and unwise because they fail to recognize and resolve their mistakes. As James pointed out, Albee symbolizes his character’s immaturity by George and Martha referring to each other as “baby,” talking in sweet voices, and their obnoxious actions, such as Martha riding George like a horse at the beginning of the move. Ethan and Zeena are immature in the same manner. Both couple’s lack of wisdom to recognize the problems and mistakes in their marriages result in the amplification and continuation of conflict between them; the four characters may be adults, but they have not matured.